"... created with nothing more than a pen, exercise book, and maybe some photos, Memory Books, are written by parents or caregivers (usually women) dying of AIDS. They contain special memories and family history for the children they won't see grow up. Some of the books also include practical details, such as wills and funeral arrangements." Molly Marsh of Sojourners compares these books to the 12 stones used by the Israelites to mark God's deliverance. Beautiful excerpts are found in Henning Mankell's book, I Die, but My Memory Lives on: The World AIDS Crisis and the Memory Book Project
Marsh concludes her article with thought-provoking clarity:
These scrapbooks, ... are intended for a small circle of people, primarily direct descendants of the creators. The content and meaning they contain will be most important to them. But these books are also important social documents. The Israelites had a ready answer for the question, "What do these stones mean?"When our children ask what these memory books mean, and why so many were needed, what sort of answer will we give?